Are Tomatoes a Fruit or vegetable? fresh tomatoes from our garden are wonderful

Are tomatoes a fruit? That is a question that has been asked for centuries.

It depends whether we are asking a cook or a botanist.

Cooks classify fruits and vegetables according to how they use them.

Tomatoes are used with other vegetables in salads, and pasta etc. So to a cook, the tomato is a vegetable. Even though botanically speaking, tomatoes are a fruit.

Tomatoes are the favorite 'vegetable' for the home garden. How do we grow tomatoes?

A fruit or a vegetable?

are tomatoes a fruit?

Botanists will tell you tomatoes are fruit. A fruit contains seeds. Fruit comes from the ovary part of the flower.

That's the definition of green peas, squash, okra, peppers, cucumbers and many other so-called 'vegetables'. Botanically, they all are fruits.

Vegetables come from other portions of the plant. Potatoes, carrots and turnips are from the roots. Other vegetables like spinach, lettuce and kale are the leaves of a plant.

Rhubarb is the stem of a plant. It technically is a vegetable that is served for desserts.

Whatever tomatoes are - they are delicious and nutritious!

Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in just a few foods. They also contain carotenoids, vitamins A, C and E.

In an effort to makes tomatoes last longer for shipping and on the grocery self, the good flavor has been bred out of tomatoes.

When I was studying horticulture in college, they were trying to breed square tomatoes, so more of them would pack into a shipping box. What a novel idea, but I'm glad they didn't succeed.

how do we grow tomatoes?

Home-grown tomatoes are delicious, compared to supermarket tomatoes. So are tomatoes a fruit, it doesn't matter.

Tomatoes are the most popular home grown 'vegetable'. There is nothing like the treat of fresh garden tomatoes on the dinner table.

They are a wonderful gift from God. And they are not hard to grow.

what do growing tomatoes require?

Tomatoes like;

• Well-drained soil, but they will grow in most any type of soil.
• 6 hours of sun per day
• Good watering
  
• A bit of fertilizer when they are fruiting

How long does it take to get a tomato?

• The small cherry tomato types will harvest in 50 to 55 days after planting a seedling.
  
• The larger tomatoes take 55 to 85 days from the seedling stage.
  
• Most tomatoes will continue to produce all summer up until frost.

Are tomatoes a fruit?

Yes, botanically tomatoes are a fruit. We can divide them into two types of tomatoes.

We have a choice of many tomato varieties.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES are open-pollinated tomatoes. This means you can save the seed. Plant the seed the next year and it will come true year after year.

You may save your own tomato seeds from a ripe fruit.

• Spread out the fleshy insides of the tomato containing the seeds, on a paper towel to dry.
• When the seeds are thoroughly dry, place the seeds in a zip-lock bag or small jar with a lid.
• Store the seeds in a cool dry place.
  
• In the freezer the seeds will last well.
  
• Saving seeds is a good thing to know, if the seeds become unavailable for some reason.
  
  

HYBRID TOMATOES are produced by crossing different varieties. There are many delicious hybrid tomatoes.

They will not come true from the seeds we save from the fruit. The seedlings could have all sorts of variations, much like our parents had children that were all different. No two are alike.

Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? Heirloom and hybrid tomatoes both are fruits botanically speaking.

what tomatoes are good for our garden?

Plant labels or seed packets give you good information for choosing tomatoes.

We may see - F, V, N or TMV on the plant labels

These initials are for tomato diseases that may attack your tomatoes and cause their demise.

F - is for fusarium wilt that can attack tomatoes in the middle of the summer.

V - is for verticillium wilt that may attack tomatoes in the cool spring weather. Verticillium can spread to other plants such as; potatoes, eggplants, strawberries and black raspberries.

• These are soil borne diseases that can survive in the soil for years. Purchase your plants from reputable dealers that fumigate or otherwise sterilize their soil to kill the soil pathogens.
• It's not worth the chance of potentially introducing these diseases into your garden.
• Both of these wilt diseases, stop up the water transport system coming from the roots. The plant will yellow and eventually die.

N - is for nematodes, little worms that attack the tomato roots. Galls form on the roots where they are attacked. The plant is weakened and wilts. Nematodes can also live in the soil for years.

Plant marigold flowers next to your tomatoes to repel the nematodes.

TMV - is for tobacco mosaic virus that causes mottling and yellowing of the leaves, less production, smaller tomatoes or brown fruit.

So much for the bad stuff. Let's grow some vegetables. Or are tomatoes a fruit? Ha Ha

determinate and indeterminate types of tomatoes

DETERMINATE tomato varieties stop growing and tend to produce all their fruit at one time, over 4 to 6 weeks. This is good, if we want to do some canning. We will get more fruit at once. Determinate tomatoes generally are a bushy plant that is not staked or caged.

INDETERMINATE tomatoes keep growing and producing fruit the entire season. They provide a supply of tomatoes for the table until frost. These plants need to be staked or caged.

Tomato varieties

The heirloom, open-pollinated varieties are marked with an asterisk. Are these tomatoes a fruit? We will call them vegetables.

CHERRY TYPES; Super Sweet, Black Cherry*, Sweet Million, Sun Gold*, Yellow Pear*, Red Pear*

SLICING TOMATOES; Brandywine*, Early Girl, Better Boy, Big Boy, Beefsteak, Rutgers*, Celebrity

VARIOUS; Cherokee Purple*, Lemon Boy, Mr. Stripey*, Pineapple*, German Pink, Black Krim*

CONTAINER TOMATOES; Tiny Tim, Small Fry, Pixie, Toy Boy, Patio, Salad Top, Tumbling Tom, Early Salad

CANNING TOMATOES have more flesh, fewer seeds and less juice. That makes them easier to handle during the canning process; San Marzano*, Roma*, Amish Paste*, Bison*, Better Boy, Clint Eastwood’s Rowdy Red, Big Mama, Jersey Giant*, Beefsteak

when and how do we plant tomatoes?

We can start our own tomato seeds about 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost. Or purchase seedlings that are already growing.

We can grow our tomato seedlings.

Incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil before planting.

After the last spring frost, plant the seedlings into your garden.

• Plant them 3 to 4 feet apart, if they will not be staked.
  
• If they will be staked or caged, plant them 1 1/2 to 3 feet apart.
• Plant the seedlings deep into the soil.
  
• Bury the stem all the way up to just below the first set of leaves.
  
• The extra stem under the soil will grow roots for a stronger plant.

how do we take care of tomatoes?

We may stake our plants with a 6-foot 1x1 inch stake driven into the soil, a foot away from the stem.

Drive the stakes at the same time you plant your tomatoes. Staking after the tomato plant is growing, may damage the roots.

If we have just a few plants, tomato cages are a good option. They are so easy. Purchase them at any garden store, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Place one tomato cage around each plant.

• Stakes or tomato cages keep the fruit up off the ground and prevent rot, discoloration or pest damage.
  
• We can also plant tomatoes in containers or hanging baskets. The tomatoes will hang over the sides of the basket and are quite attractive and easy to pick.
  
• Water your tomato plants regularly. Tomatoes have deep roots, so water deeply.

When these keto friendly fruit start forming, be sure and water regularly. The fruit will start to set when the nights are 55 degrees or warmer.

• Pull the weeds. The tomatoes appreciate some mulch to maintain even soil moisture and prevent the fruit from cracking. Mulch also helps to prevent weed growth.
• After the fruit sets, apply a mild fertilizer every 2 weeks. Place the fertilizer a few inches away from the stem to prevent burning it.
  
• Do not fertilize a dry plant. After fertilizing the tomato, water the fertilizer in.

There are three numbers on fertilizer containers. They stand for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.

Select a fertilizer with the 2nd and 3rd numbers higher than the first number. Too much nitrogen (the first of the 3 numbers) is good for growing leaves, but not much fruit.

Pinch off the suckers that grow in the joints where the branches attach to the main stem. They just grow leaves, but no fruit.

When do we harvest the tomatoes?

Pick the tomatoes when they are red and juicy. They should pull off the vines easily, if they are ripe.

Keep the ripe tomatoes picked. If they are left on the plant, it will stop producing.

When the fall frosts are on their way, pinch off the terminal growths and any flowers. The tomatoes on the plant will ripen faster.

We may pick the green tomatoes for a tasty fried treat. Or wrap them in newspaper and store them in a cool place at 58 degrees. When we want them to ripen, bring them into a 70-degree temperature.

• When the growing season is finished, pull the tomato vines and destroy them or otherwise remove them from the property to control any pests or diseases.
• Plant the tomatoes in a different place each year. Pests and diseases can overwinter in the soil. If they don't find any tomatoes to munch on, it breaks their cycle.
  

are tomatoes a fruit? don't wonder, we just enjoy them!